HOW IMPORTANT IS STREET APPEAL?

The answer to this question is pretty simple.... Street appeal is VERY important. The street appeal or facade of your house is the first impression that any buyer will get when they see your property for the first time. If you type in "first impressions" into Google you will get hundreds of articles and quotes stating the importance of first impressions.... and we all know Garry (Google) knows best!

As mentioned above it is a well known fact that first impressions count, whether in a business introduction or in this case a property viewing, people always remember that first impression and the way it made them feel. If a potential buyer approaches your house and immediately feels joy and excitement it is going to make your job of selling the property much easier and it will definitely help you get a higher price. So.... How can you present your home properly to ensure it has great street appeal and to ensure buyers fall in love with it?

Below are five tips for increasing your properties street appeal to help with a sale:

1. Clean Up!

Let's start with the most obvious one. Clean up your yard! If you have toys and furniture all over the place it will be hard for your house to look good, even if the lawn and plants are well maintained. An empty yard is a good yard when it comes to selling! You should not have anything around the front yard unless it is part of the decoration/styling.

2. Lawn Care

Most houses will have a patch of grass in front of them. It is extremely important that this grass is green and mowed so that the house looks inviting. It is amazing how much of a difference this can make to the street appeal. If you are doing a renovation project make sure to budget for new turf, if you are updating your own home for sale then you need to start this process at least 6-8 weeks before the sale. Get some fertiliser on the turf, water it regularly and it will come right. If you don't have time to do it yourself get in a gardener for a few weeks. It will pay dividends when you sell!

3. Plant Care

Following the point above you need to make sure any plants, trees and hedges in the yard look healthy and well maintained. Again this is a small thing that contributes in a big way to the look of the house and the appeal to potential buyers.

4. Power Wash Your Driveway/House

A great way to make your property look newer, cleaner, more inviting and more expensive is to get out the high pressure cleaner and clean down the concrete driveway/paths and maybe even spray down the front of the house. You would be surprised how much dirt and grime accumulates over the years. Removing this can make the home look almost brand new again! Just be careful around windows and other fragile areas as the power of the water spray can definitely cause some damage.

5. Paint

If you have the budget available painting the front of your home will totally change the street appeal and can make it look like a brand new home. If you are just looking to spruce up the facade you can realistically get the front painted for around $3000 - $5000 including materials and this could add tens of thousands of dollars to your properties value.

Remember if you are preparing your house for sale you need to have a real focus on the street appeal. This is an aspect that is often over looked and if done correctly can help you sell your property quickly and for a great price!

Thank you so much for reading! As always this article is based on our experiences and point of view and should always be read as such!